Japanese people protest against the atrocities committed by US troops stationed in Japan and criticize the Gao city government for its inaction

China News Service, October 12. According to a report by Japan's "Red Flag" on the 12th, on the 10th local time, Japanese people held a protest rally in Kyoto City to express anger over the suspected robbery and murder of US soldiers stationed in Japan.

According to reports, at the rally, former Japanese House of Representatives member Horikawa Ryoko criticized the Takaichi Sanae government for its inaction. She said that if Japan claims to lodge a solemn protest against the US military, it must face up to the cause of the incident and face up to the US military base issue as the root cause.

A rally participant from Shiga Prefecture worried about how a government that cannot even protect the people of Okinawa can protect all Japanese citizens. Others angrily said that the US military stationed in Japan must leave Okinawa.

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) recently reported that the atrocities committed by US troops stationed in Japan have once again ignited the dissatisfaction of the people of Okinawa over local crimes involving US military personnel for many years.

The report quoted an Okinawan citizen as saying, "Nothing has changed since I was a child. How many times will the same thing happen again?"

In response to this case, Japanese Prime Minister Takaichi Sanae expressed "extreme regret" on the 4th. Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi summoned U.S. Ambassador to Japan Glass and Commander of U.S. Forces in Japan Yost respectively on the same day to express protest.

In response, local people said, "I am very disappointed that the government has repeatedly made the same comments for decades" and hoped that Gao City would take more concrete measures.

According to previous reports, police in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan arrested American soldier Devon Ballard on the 4th. Ballard is 20 years old and belongs to the U.S. Marine Corps stationed at Futenma Base. He is suspected of killing a Japanese woman at a hotel in Naha City, Okinawa Prefecture on the 3rd and taking away the victim's wallet and other items.

For a long time, crimes have occurred frequently among US troops stationed in Japan, including many vicious cases such as rape, murder, and robbery. Statistics show that in 2025 alone, the Okinawa Prefecture police handled more than 100 criminal cases involving US troops stationed in Japan and related personnel.